Self-Awareness through Daily Motion:A glorious spring day it is. Watching life burst forth from the trees. Sap is rising, exploring to find the extent of its owners (the tree) new form. Has the form changed since the sap retreated the previous fall? I am not an expert on how a tree communicates with itsself but I’m sure the sap is integral. Would you not agree? The tree with its sap must fill all the voids. Pressing outward to receive an end-feel of where sap has been pushed to determine its boundaries.“This is taking inventory.”This is the place to begin, taking inventory, this is an assessment of where and how I am today right now. Any system that wants to operate effectively also must continually take inventory. My own self-awareness is exactly this same process. Always taking information in, assessing – placing value on this information, and adjusting or not. At the beginning I have to ask myself questions to get the ball rolling but in a short time my own internal intelligence takes over. My unconsciousness takes control. One of my possible first clues that an assessment has been made is the feeling of discomfort or pain. This could be telling me to shift my position in my seat or pull my hand away from a hot flame. When I feel the discomfort or pain I consciously begin to ask questions to guide me in my adjustments. These questions, assessments and adjustments then feed my unconsciousness. This is a feedback loop that works wonders creating a happier experience in my body.We all learned to move our bodies by watching the people around us as we developed from infancy. Do you remember learning to crawl – the questions and assessments that must have happened while learning? Today the assumption is that we can get up out of bed today and move. At the very least as well as we did yesterday, until we can’t.We (as a world society) are no longer using our bodies as they have evolved to be used. We have lost the need to squat, twist and reach with our torsos or lie on a hard surface to rest. We are at a place in time of "we use it or lose it” the healthy function our body that is.Just as we learned to walk by watching and mimicking others, we have become static in our bodies by watching and mimicking others, and now to evolve again we must find new muses to watch and mimic. What do you want to look and move like as you age? Hard question to answer. We all want to look good and never deteriorate. No one is going to MAKE you change your behavior, only you can do that. What incentive do you need to stop, take inventory and make the first move to operate your body in a more effective manner.Since it’s springtime, take a moment and ponder how thesap is running in your awareness.My book “Hello! This is your body speaking” will guide you step by step through taking inventory and introduce you to many ideas on how to explore making changes in your current activities.Mary Wheeler, LMT 3-19-14